Thomas P. Andriacchi

Biography

Professor Andriacchi's research focuses on the biomechanics of human locomotion and its biomedical applications to artificial joints, sports injury, osteoarthritis, and neuromuscular disorders. He is the author of more than 200 original papers, more than 500 abstracts and numerous book chapters and is an active member of several national and international societies. He is a past member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Biomechanics and serves on the Board of Associate Editors for the Journal of Orthopedic Research. Among his honors, Dr. Andriacchi has received the Kappa Delta Award, the highest award of the Orthopedic Research Society and the Borelli Award, the highest award of the American Society of Biomechanics. He is Past President of the American Society of Biomechanics and past Secretary-Treasurer for the Orthopedic Research Society and a former member of its Board of Directors.

Research Interest

The main focus of the research conducted in Professor AndriacchiÂ’s Biomotion Laboratory is to apply the study of normal and pathological human movement to the evaluation and treatment of musculoskeletal disease and injury. The Laboratory provides unique information on the relationship between the in vivo pathomechanics of human movement and the mechanisms that influence the initiation and progression of musculoskeletal disease and injury. As such, the Laboratory intergrates information from collaborative studies that conduct animal and/or in vitro testing by providing the in vivo perspective on the problem. Specifically, the Laboratory has identified unique ambulatory conditions that are associated with the development of premature osteoarthritis following joint trauma. The Laboratory is using this information as an objective tool to evaluate the efficacy of specific treatments for modifying ambulatory patterns that lead to post-trauma osteoarthritis. Similarly, the association between obesity and premature osteoarthritis is being studied to evaluate the interactions between ambulatory changes , biological changes (from serum biomarkers) and structural changes to cartilage (from MRI) that converge to make obesity the main risk factor for developing osteoarthritis. This work has had direct translational results producing an inexpensive load modifying intervention in the form of a shoe that has been shown to reduce knee pain in patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis. There is also a major program to develop prevention strategies for reducing the risk for anterior cruciate ligament injury, a common sports injury to the knee. Improved methods for assessing morphological cartilage changes from MR images have been developed and applied to establishing a relationship between mechanical loading during walking and cartilage thickness. Finally, the Laboratory has been a leader in the development of improved methods for the measurement and analysis of human movement. One such improvement is the creation and development of a markerless motion capture system giving the researchers the capacity to analyze human movement without placing markers on the subject.